The Fairbank Report...(如意報告)
**NB: Signed articles represent the opinions of the respective
authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of THE FAIRBANK REPORT/RUYI BAOGAO (如 意 報 告).

28 April 2013

LETTER TO DEAR WIFE

IT'S DIFFICULT TO BELIEVE, BUT 102 APRILS AGO, CHINA WAS A WEAK EMPIRE TORN ASUNDER BY FOREIGN POWERS. LIN JUEMIN (林覺民) AND THE NATIONALIST MOVEMENT PROMOTED REVOLUTION AGAINST THE CORRUPT AND INEPT QING IMPERIAL GOVERNMENT AS A MEANS TO SAVE THE COUNTRY (JIUGUO). LESS THAN A YEAR BEFORE THE XUANTONG EMPEROR ABDICATED, ON APRIL 27, 1911, LIN AND HIS BAND OF BROTHERS (THE 72 MARTYRS) ATTACKED THE RESIDENCE OF THE GOVERNOR OF GUANGDONG AND GUANGXI. LIN WAS ARRESTED AND QUICKLY EXECUTED.

BELOW IS THE (NOW FAMOUS) TEXT OF THE FINAL LETTER TO HIS WIFE, WHICH WAS WRITTEN ON A SILK HANDKERCHIEF. THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION FOLLOWS THE ORIGINAL CHINESE TEXT.

With this letter I now
bid you farewell! When I’m writing this letter now, I’m still a man in
the land of the living; When you read this letter, I’ll be a ghost in
the netherworld. As I’m writing this letter, teardrops fall down on the
page along with ink. I almost put down my pen, I can hardly go on if it
were not for fear that you misunderstand me and accuse me of being so
heartless as to leave you alone or not knowing you don’t want me to die,
so I have to overcome my sorrow and write these words to you.

I love you very much, and
this same love allows me to boldly give up my life. Ever since I met
you, I often wish all the lovers in this world can follow their hearts
and form happy couples. However, the reality is bloodshed is spreading
all over the land, wild beasts are running in every street, how many
families can claim true happiness? Just as the Tang poet Bai Ju Yi whose
robe was wet with tears when he saw the suffering of the people,
neither can I stay unaffected like the ancient saints. An old saying
goes: A benevolent person "respect his own seniors, then extends to
respect others’ seniors, cherish his own children, then extends to
cherish others’ children". I extend my love for you to help others love
whom they love, that’s why I dare to die before you without regard to
you. If you understand what I believe in, then besides crying for me,
think on behalf of everyone as well, you should also be happy to
sacrifice the happiness of you and I in order to strive for the eternal
happiness of all the people. Don’t you be sad!

Do you remember?
One evening four or five years ago, I told you: "Instead of letting me
die first, I’d rather have you die first." At first you were mad when
you heard this, but after I gently explained it, although you did not
agree, you could not refute me either. What I meant was knowing your
frail health, you definitely can not withstand the sorrow of losing me. I
don’t have the heart to die first and leave all the sadness to you. So
I’d rather hope that you die first and let me bear the sorrow. Sigh! Who
knew I would die before you after all? I can never ever forget about
you! I remember our residence in the back street,
enter the gate, through the hallways, pass front room and back room,
make three or four more corners, there is a small living room. Next to
the small living room is a bedroom, and that is where you and I lived.
Three or four months after we got married, it was just around mid
November, outside of our window sparse plum branches cast shadows under
the moonlight, each reflecting on the other. You and I were walking side
by side, holding hands, whispering our deepest thoughts. What subject
was off limits? What feelings went untold? When I think of this today,
only tearstains remain. I also recall six or seven years ago, when I ran
from home and returned again, you told me while weeping: "Hope the next
time you go on a long trip, you must let me know, I would like to go
along with you." I also did promise you so. A little more than ten days
ago when I returned home, I intended to take the opportunity to tell you
about this trip. But when I was facing you, again I could not open my
mouth. Especially since you were pregnant, I was even more afraid you
would not be able to bear the sadness, so all I could do was to yell for
drinks everyday hoping to get drunk. Sigh! This pen can never hope to
do justice to the sorrow in my heart back then.

I certainly wish to stick
together with you until we die, but based on the current state of
affairs, natural disasters can kill us, robbers and burglars can kill
us, invaders dividing the country can kill us, corrupt officials abusing
the people can kill us. Our generation lives in present day China where
anytime and any place we may die. By then either let me helplessly
watch you die, or let you helplessly watch me die, can I allow that? Or
can you allow that? Even if we can escape death, but if we are separated
physically and can not see each other, hopeless even when our eyes have
blinded from looking for one another and our bones have turned into
stone, may I ask since olden times when you’ve ever seen a broken mirror
turn into whole again? So this is worse than dying, what can we do
then? Today you and I are fortunate to be both living, yet there are
countless people in the world who died when they should not have died or
separated when they did not wish to be separated. As people who cherish
love, can we permit this to happen? This is why I can give up my life
so easily without regard to you. I have no regrets when I die now, the
success of the national movement will be left to my comrades. Yi Xin is
already five years old, before long he will be grown up, I hope you
raise him well, make him grow to be like me. The little one in your
womb, I suspect is a girl, a girl will surely take after you, I feel
very gratified. Or maybe it’s a boy, then also teach him to follow his
father’s aspirations, so after I die there will still be two of me
around. Rejoice! Rejoice! In the future our household will surely be
stricken with poverty, but there is no sadness to being poor, only
getting along quietly, that is all.

Now I have no more to say
to you. If I hear your wails from far away in the nether world, I ought
to answer with wails of my own. I don’t normally believe in ghosts, but
now I wish they really exist. Nowadays people also claim there are ways
of telepathy, I too wish this claim is true. Then when I die, my
spirit, reluctant to leave, can still accompany you so you don’t feel
sad from losing your spouse.

In this life I never told
you about my aspirations, this is my fault; But if I tell you, I fear
you will worry about me everyday. I can sacrifice my life for the
country a hundred times without passing the chance, but causing you
worries really isn’t something my heart can bear. I love you to the
extreme, so I’m always afraid I have not thought of everything for you.
You are fortunate to marry me, but why are you so unfortunate as to be
living in today’s China! I am fortunate to marry you, but why am I so
unfortunate as to be living in today’s China! In the end I can not bear
to just perfect myself. Sigh! The handkerchief is short and the feelings
are long, there are thousands of words left to say, you can come up
with the rest by yourself based on what’s here. I can no longer see you
now! You can not let me go, maybe you will see me in your dream from
time to time!

What great sorrow! March 26, 1911 past midnight,
handwritten by Yi Dong

All our aunts at home are
proficient in written words, if there are places where you are unclear,
please ask them to explain, it’s best to understand fully what I meant.